Milford doctor pleads guilty to fraud and drug charges

Updated 7:01 am, Thursday, December 1, 2016

A Milford psychiatrist has pleaded guilty to federal health fraud and drug charges.

Ljudmil Kljusev, 52, of Fairfield entered the plea Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to distributing narcotics outside of the scope of professional practice, and health care fraud.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Kljusev, who operated a psychiatry practice in Milford, was a high-volume prescriber of Adderall and Xanax to patients, many of whom paid for office visits and prescriptions in cash.

Adderall, which is classified as a Schedule II drug by the DEA, is the brand name for a drug containing a combination of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, both of which are central nervous system stimulants. This combination of drugs is used to treat narcolepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Xanax, which is classified as a Schedule IV drug by the DEA, is a brand name for a drug containing Alprazolam, a benzodiazepine drug. Alprazolam is commonly used to treat anxiety disorders or panic disorders.

The investigation, which included the use of confidential witnesses and an undercover officer posing as patients, revealed that Kljusev prescribed the drugs without a full medical examination of the patient, provided prescriptions without confirming conditions that would medically require treatment using these drugs and dispensed prescriptions in exchange for cash to patients who display substance abuse and addiction behaviors.

Kljusev also directed non-physician employees to write prescriptions signed by the doctor when he was out of the country, court documents show.

In 2014 and 2015, Kljusev improperly billed private health insurers approximately $76,983 for medical services rendered when he was out of the country.

“This doctor sold controlled substances out of his office for cash, like a common drug dealer,” said U.S. Attorney Deirdre M. Daly. “We are finding with increasing frequency that the types of pills he distributed are contributing to drug overdose deaths. They are incredibly dangerous if taken inappropriately and particularly toxic if combined with an opioid.

“We in law enforcement are committed to prosecuting medical professionals who recklessly and illegally put these and other prescription pills on the street. I thank our partners in this ongoing battle: the DEA and ... the Milford Police Department.”

Kljusev, who has been in custody since his arrest on Nov. 12, 2015, will be sentenced on February 22 under a plea agreement, subject to court approval, that calls for a prison term of between 26 and 77 months, the forfeiture of the property on Naugatuck Avenue in Milford where his office was located, as well as $173,095.20 in cash that was seized from his office on the day of his arrest.

He also has agreed to forfeit an additional $117,431.13 contained in his business checking account, and to pay restitution in the amount of $76,983.

The investigation was conducted by the DEA’s New Haven Tactical Diversion Squad, the FBI and Milford police. The DEA Tactical Diversion Squad includes officers from the Bristol, Greenwich, Hamden, Milford, New Haven, Shelton, Vernon and Wilton police departments.

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This is not the Macedonia native’s first brush with the law. Kljusev was reprimanded and fined $15,000 by the state Medical Examining Board in September, 2013 for sending personal texts to a female patient and calling her "Sweety."

Kljusev, who is board-certified in psychiatry, and speaks with a thick accent, denied the woman’s claim that he kissed her and said that he was a victim of ethnic discrimination.